Samantha Bomkamp

Writer

Samantha is a business reporter, covering a range of topics from taxes to #MeToo. She previously covered the food industry and served as a digital editor and producer at the Tribune. She came to Chicago in 2013 from New York, where she worked as a travel industry reporter for The Associated Press, but she cut her journalism teeth at daily newspapers in Maine and Iowa. She has a degree in psychology from Ohio State University, and is a die-hard Buckeye football fan. She has an unusual fascination with whales, elephants and Julia Child.

Recent Articles

Most Americans are starting to see one of the early benefits of the new tax law: a bump in take-home pay. Paychecks are increasing for about 90 percent of Americans due to the tax overhaul, according to the U.S. Treasury, a result of changes in withholding tables set by the IRS. The deadline for...

Production of Skittles, the colorful fruit-flavored treat, expanded to a Yorkville plant operated by Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. in 2016. Skittles, which were previously made solely in Waco, Texas, are now produced in a Yorkville plant along with brands like Life Savers, Doublemint and Juicy...

Crate & Barrel’s kid-centered offshoot Land of Nod has closed nearly all of its retail stores, including all of its locations in Illinois. Morton Grove-based Land of Nod, which sells children's furniture and home decor, told state regulators late last year that it would lay off 25 employees by...

The peacock was just the tip of the iceberg. An emotional support peacock named Dexter kicked off a controversy last month when United Airlines refused to allow the bird to board a flight leaving Newark, N.J. In an instant, the peacock became a symbol of the growing number of emotional support...

Some of Bob Skaleski’s fondest teenage memories are centered around a Des Plaines restaurant with gleaming arches that would later become one of the world’s most recognizable trademarks. Skaleski, 75, was one of the earliest employees of McDonald’s No. 1, the first restaurant run by Ray Kroc, who...

Transportation logistics company Flexport said it will open its first Midwest office in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. Flexport, a freight forwarder that manages shipments via plane, ship and truck and allows shippers to track goods in real time, said it chose Chicago for its latest office because...

Confused about how the new tax law will affect you? You’re not alone. With the ink barely dry on a new tax law, uncertainty abounds on what moves to make or even what to ask a tax preparer. So what do you need to know before you collect that box of receipts and make the trip to see your accountant?...

Bank of America has eliminated its only free checking account that doesn’t require a minimum balance, causing an uproar from customers on social media and spurring a petition to reverse the decision. The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank said it moved eBanking customers into accounts that require them...